July 21.
The opening of the Imperial Economic Conference at Ottawa recalls the gathering there 11894 of the then self-governing Colonies, with the British Government represented by a delegate-observer, to discuss, ways of promoting trade within the Empire. That Conference recorded "ite belief in the advisability of 'a customs arrangement between Great Britain and her Colonies by which trade within the Empire may be placed on a more able footing than that which ix carried on with foreign countries."
From this first Conference on Empire Trade—assembled at the invitation of Canada—
Commonwealth bond. The Conference wil be expected therefore unemotionally to explore ithe ground of inter-Dominion economies, with the avowed object of discovering how and with what aim in mind E: ire Trade can be best developed. important problem for discussion will be that rationalization. It will deal with the difficulties created by the Jestablishment of industries which, while insufficiently provided with scope for their opera-fons, tend to be destructive of industries in other Dominions.
(Ca-operation on the lines applied by the British and Canadian stea! industries in arriving at agreed assignment, of activities should be "extended. It might, for example, be attempted to' solve the problem of the competition between Bombay and Manchester in the cotton textile industry. At!
time of world-depression prac-al measures to deal with Overseas Settlement cannot usefully be attempted. Migration is essentially an economic issu whether it can be brought on to the Ottawa agenda for more than academic attention is doubtful.
The difficulty of so doing lies in ithe fact that, just now, the Dominions do not want additions to their population, on economic although' the Mother Country' might be glad of the relief afforded to an overcrowd-jed labour market by emigration to other parts of the Empire, The chief function of the Conference will be to establish and confirm the principle of cooperation in economic matters. It [should_not be expected to come to spectacular decisions, ey in the discussion of much can ed issues such Empire Free Trade or a common sterling standard for Empire currency. The veal success of the Conference will depend on its contribution to. the problem of lowering tariff barrier: by ich alone the progress made politically in consolidate pire unity, on the basis of complete freedom and equality of wall. There is no blinking that fact. Demonstrations of women protestants, petitions,—_propaganda—some wise, some foolish—against war, efforts to minimise the virtues' of courage battle, exploitation of the crank" mind, dragooning of experts, have all failed. The drive for disarmament has been checked.
So much has been said about disarmament that, it is to be feared, it has been looked upon las the end instead of the means. The real object of the Conference jwas—or should have been—the discovery of a way to mobilise the world for peace. The device lof disarming was chosen as the goal because it was prescribed in ithe Versailles Treaty and the Covenant attached thereto. The events of the last fourteen years suggest that continuance in this vein of thought can mean nothing but a refusal to learn by experience. If the earnest efforts of successive Conferences have produced so poor a result, is it not reasonable to suggest that the basis of those discussions has been faulty? Nations, which have refused to yield too readily to the cry for reduction of armaments, have not taken that attitude necessarily out of sheer wantonness. Nations, which have claimed to lead the way, have perhaps had less reason to rely on armed defence. The problem has been complicated by the very principles laid down in the acceptance of disarmament asa way to peace. A. single example will suffice. France has good ground for laying emphasis Jon security. She has been consistently refused a guarantee by Great Britain and America. [She sees that the British Army has been reduced to a figure less than that of pre-l91. She is aware of the limitations imposed other sweeping reductions in [Great Britain's defence expenditure. She perceives that such defence cannot readily include obligations to enforce security for other countries. Therefore she knows—or thinks she does—
[sprang the important jevelopstatus, can be reinforced and|that security for France must ments which have assisted 0)matched in the economic side of depend on France alone. So, materially in consolidating the|the Commonwealth's existence.|what may be a single-minded British Commonwealth That mera, the certslaledart. te' sat en example in Nations, politically and economi-achievement of a cooperation disarmament actually places cally. This second Economic which, in the long run, should be obstacle in the way of full Conference to be held at Ottawa of the utmost value to the world achievement,—after a lapse of 38 years—is outside. For the essence of It may be argued that the of great importance to the large sound trade relations thin the acceptance in principle of the family composing it. It Empire is to be found need for disarmament and of the a special interest for the economic policy which Hoover proposals. as a basi, the world, in that the delegates couraging rather than hosti te something has been done, That sembled represent about 28) veneral cooperation with othe: is self-deception. The Con-.|world-units or groups.
A wellference will meet again but, in Since its predecessor was welded British Commonwealth is, the light of experience, is' it Jen enormous political change has in fact, a guarantee of advance likely to proceed further on the leone over the face of the Empire to the' goal of _world-recovery. wwa"change much in advance it the Ottawa Conference can S, of 90 we mtd on the perhaps of the progress made ili assert that principle, it will have|rorthcoming World Economic Jeconomic relationships between sone far to justify expectations Conference ultimately to achieve the members of that miniature|in its regard, rer tan age ake Ser vend issue is whether disarmament—cludes the suggestion imperial equality which pre-that there
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.